Cruising along at 75mph Simon’s features remained blank as he once more shifted his weight to the left and tilted his entire body until he could almost feel his knees scraping the pavement below. The thunderous engine beneath him acquiesced to his command, darting out into the opposite lane and for a split second the elementals body froze as he spotted a fuel truck bearing down on him, its headlights blazing for the briefest moment as they reflected the summer sun. Then the moment passed and Zephyr regained control, gripping the handle bars firmly he twisted the throttle causing the five cylinder engine to increase its roar as it sped forward and overtook the black SUV that had been blocking its progress for the last 30 seconds. The instant he cleared the obstruction the elemental summoned a blast of air which knocked him to the right and caused him to land back in own lane just as the rather explosive truck went barreling past.

“Son of a Bitch!”[/color]

The merc allowed a grin to tug at his features and chuckled audibly within the confines of his obsidian helmet as heard the truck drivers’ expletive carry on the air. Two month ago he never would have believed that he would be spending his free time speeding through the bustling over crowded roads of New York City, yet he here was having a genuine good time as he weaved through cars and gave nearby motorists momentary hearts attacks. ‘To think I once dismissed driving as an unnecessary nuisance’ he thought wryly as he dashed out into the center of the road and over took five vehicles in one go as he entered the city outskirts. Glancing backwards briefly Zephyr crossed lanes and boarded the ramp for the expressway and kicked his engine into full gear. It was time to pay a little visit to the labs.


--

Simons latest acquisition had originally been bought more out of necessity than out of any desire for personal enjoyment. Flying out to Mondragon labs each time Hunter had some task or meeting that required his presence had swiftly become an annoyance for the elemental due to the fact that it was impossible to land anywhere within the facility without being seen and as he had no desire to advertise his flight capabilities this had meant landing a mile away from the complex and then wasting twenty minutes or so as he strolled up to the entrance. After having considered the problem for a fair amount of time Zephyr had concluded that the simplest solution was to purchase some type of vehicle and since he had no desire to become stuck in rush hour traffic that immediately eliminated any kind of car therefore narrowing his choices considerably.

Simon was not one to indulge in impulse buying though, he devoted many afternoons usually reserved for his tourist wanderings to instead researching and learning everything he deemed necessary about the vehicle he planned to purchase. He visited a range of mechanics around the city and collected their opinions as they complained about the faults of some designs while praising the benefits of others, he had searched online and visited a plethora of forums devoted to the subject of motorbikes and filtered through the useless arguments until he came to the hard facts. It had been a rather enlightening experience to say the least for the elemental had known next to nothing of mechanics before he undertook this little project, yet by the end while he may not have known enough to maintain his own machine he had certainly acquired the knowledge to know what he wanted.

In the end Zephyr had chosen to avoid the mass manufactured commercial models that the large majority of motorists were content to use. The elemental had decided that after spending such a large quantity of his time studying the mechanics behind the vehicle he would only be content with what he considered the best, to that end he had calculated his own specifications and then set about searching through a list of manufacturers as he tried to determine precisely who would construct his machine. It was at this stage that some of the mercs ego had chosen to shine for the manufacturer he had selected was Lotus Cars, a British group which was renowned for their light weight designs and almost legendary handling. The problem with this choice had been the fact that Lotus only produced cars; they had never created a motorcycle. Still Simon had sent a request to the company’s CEO and a few days later he had received a response from the mans secretary politely declining his request. However after investing a reasonable fraction of his funds into the company, and thereby gaining possession of large number of shares, he suddenly found that his request had been reconsidered.

During the two month wait he’d had to endure while his bike was being constructed Zephyr had rented a considerably less impressive machine and undergone a crash course in driving. It had been during this time that Zephyr had shown what his teacher termed “unbelievable luck” where the two wheeled machines were concerned. The British merc had proved himself capable of maneuvering in the tightest of spaces, spotting the elusive openings at the last second that allowed him to avoid disaster by a hairs breath. In truth though the elementals good fortune was due to his own god given abilities; Simon had a connection with the air, he could feel its flows and currents, the complex squalls and zephyrs that were merely a breeze to everyone else was an intricate pattern for the skilled merc and whenever that pattern was disturbed he felt it. In the early days of his mutation he had forced himself to ignore it for this ability had proven to be a distraction as he had been unable to limit the range of his awareness and so he had instinctively known about the presence of anything that the wind encountered. Needless to say that in crowded places this little side effect had nearly driven him insane because of his lack of control, shift forward a few years though and he was capable of dealing with this new awareness, though only to a limited extent. Zephyrs limit at the moment was roughly 20m and required a level of concentration which he normally found annoying, however he determined that the benefits he enjoyed while driving were well worth a little annoyance.

--

Finally coming to the end of the long desolate road that served as the entrance for the Mondragon complex Simon applied the brakes and killed his speed; he had a feeling that any unidentified bike that encountered the security forces while traveling well in excess of 180mph would be met with hail of bullets and Zephyrs had no intention of damaging his machine the first day out. So he reigned in the engine until it was doing a humble 30mph before stopping at the first security point and verifying that he did indeed have the required clearance to enter the labs. After that it was a short ride to the underground parking area where he stashed his latest acquisition behind a hulking black van, then still clad in his black helmet and month old leather jacket he wandered off to the locker rooms in order to store his riding apparel before he entered the facility proper.

So it was twenty minutes later that Zephyr found himself in his ordinary everyday attire strolling through the usual bland hallways as he tried to remember which path would lead him to doctor Ingham, the merc had an interesting idea he wished to discuss with the antisocial recluse.

Tris was having a ball, spending some time exploring the city that was otherwise inaccessible due to lack of funds, camping out in her fabulous penthouse apartment, and just generally enjoying her new circumstances.....

Though it wasn't all cruisy fun for her, she probably spent the same amount of time or more at the labs- not even to train with Hunter mostly, just practice in one of the practice rooms, honing her explosive potential and freezing reaction......it was hard, and she got headaches every so often, and it wasn't as is she had this hard core work ethic to hone her gifts, and its not like she wanted to show Hunter she was worthy of a place here (though if she was honest, that was probably alittle bit part of it).....its just.....doing this was freaken wonderful....

Its like, now Tris had a space where she didn't have to worry about damaging people or property, or average folk finding out, or not getting the bond from her apartment back.....she could finally let loose and find out abit more of what she could do.....like she'd finally been allowed free after a long confinement...like thinking you know someone so well, and get barely having their life story...and she was loving every minute.

Mediations, Thi chi, aerobics, and alittle gymnastics thrown in there to help improve focus, concentration and self awareness....helping her aim and bringing her freezing thing to conscious control. Her training sessions were getting more tense, what with dangerous things flying at her every which way.

....Duck....Dodge.....Stop.....Freeze......Explode.....and Repeat.....

Tris still couldn't heat ice worth a damn without Hunter's coaching, she didn't have the finesse, couldn't aim would the hands, and could only get the whole freezing thing working occasionally, and she still had sooooo much to learn......but she was getting better....

Tris finished her training session and stepped out of the practice room, thinking of eventually winding her way to the cafeteria and getting something to eat- destructiveness makes you hungry. She turned the corner, humming to herself and stoped when she saw who else was there, Tris's delicate features set in an unhidden scowl;

"Oh look, its alley guy, skulking in another shadowish hallway, what a surpise."

Not exactly her best material ever, but Tris wasn't going for eloquence, just sarcasm and scorn really.
She showed a thin, tight lipped smile and then aimed to walked on.

The unfortunate thing about this place, was you were more then likely to meet your coworkers at some point.....even if said coworker you happened to have a certain resentment for....Tris knew....she knew.....her annoycane was out of proportion with what happened....its just....this guy rubbed her so far up the wrong way, that so help her, if he wasn't one of Hunter's men, he would either be a frozen statue for eternity, or a pink mist settling on the floor.

....maybe she should take some anger management classes....

Strolling through the labyrinth of complex hallways that connected the various departments and storage areas of Mondragon labs Zephyrs allowed his mind to wander, normally this would be deemed dangerous or foolhardy considering his line work. However when he took into account the fact that he was currently in Hunters own stronghold the elemental considered the possibility of an attack highly unlikely and so had his guard to drop somewhat.

Still Zephyr was not completely naive and so when he caught the sound of footsteps echoing down the corridor his mind immediately shifted to the present as he sought the source of the disturbance which swiftly appeared in the form of a rather petite young woman with red hair. The mercs step didn’t falter but his gaze lingered on her for a spilt second for she seemed familiar but when he couldn’t identify her immediately he swiftly discarded her from his thoughts thinking her to be of no consequence and so missed the scowl that decorated her features.

"Oh look, its alley guy, skulking in another shadowish hallway, what a surpise."[/color]

The elemental paused as the girls words reached his ears and connected with something inside his mind, a memory; a dark alley featuring a certain individual with an explosive temper. Recognition flashed in Zephyr’s eyes for a split second as he at last identified the young woman in front of him. Tris Evans, previously the owner of a dingy little apartment on some back alley of no significance, and by all rights that’s exactly what the girl should have been; someone of no significance. However Hunter had deemed Ms. Evans mutation as a necessity for the Kabal and Zephyr had been sent to “recruit” her.

A mild frown adorned the elementals lips as he remembered their first encounter, it really had been all to easy, it wasn’t as though he had expected much from the girl but still, to fall for the old “Look behind you!” routine… he was expected to work with someone like that? The idea was almost shameful, and it seemed she hadn’t erased any of her naivety while under Hunters tutelage; trying to antagonize the person who effectively “took you out” the last time you met was not a wise move by any account. ‘With her current mindset she’ll most likely be killed on her first real mission’ he thought impassively, normally Simon wouldn’t have cared if Tris got a hole blown through her skull on her first day of service, but with the way things were going at present it seemed as though Hunter enjoyed pairing the various Kabal members together and Zephyr would not be cheated out of a paycheck because of the incompetence of someone else. Still the elemental didn’t have the time or inclination to train the impertinent red head and so settled for a parting word of guidance when she came level with him.

“A piece of advice Ms… Evans was it?” he intoned in a bored manner, “It is unwise to provoke someone if you are unaware of their capabilities”

With his part said the merc didn’t even glance back to check Tris’s reaction as he continued on down the hall, he had more important things to do then entertain an immature female.

Trista stared at the man with that speical glare that by all non phycial rights should be able to cut through steal...but somehow didn't.

As she stared at him and studdied his vacant face, her expression managed to show displeasure, suprise, alittle shock and down right annoycane.......he actually had to think before remembering the girl he had offered the world too and then knocked out.

THe resentment of the manner of her capture here, the grugde that Hunter had carefullly bottled up inside her begaun to boil anew, clawing to escape the walls of logic and common sense.
Trista knew she shouldn't expect mister I'll knoc people out for the hell of it, to remember little old her.....that he was a fellow employee and in this for some money.....rasonality was quickly losing its grip on her.....her temper always took some controling.

“A piece of advice Ms… Evans was it?” he intoned in a bored manner, “It is unwise to provoke someone if you are unaware of their capabilities”

Trista'a mouth was open but he didn't see it- he was walking away....dimissing her.....he was bored with her.....the fact he was right only fueling her anger as she watched him walk away.....Tris took some deep breathes and tried to focus.....she had to focus and get her feeling under control, but the excerises that normally worked, were worthless at the moment....for her...in this mood.

Tris spun away and stomped off, she had to find Hunter.....get her emotions under control.....relax......she stopped and grinned as happy realization....she had to get Zephry back......she'd aways been good at holding grudges and revenge was a dish best served cold.....

This thought did the job, calming Tris in a way, giving her a focus on a single goal....she'd loved pranks when she was little, and this was no exception. She wandered aimless down the bland corridors thinking and dismissing possibilities. Tris needed something that would get back at Zephyr, maybe even wipe that annoying and condescending expression from his arrogant features, something personal to him that would make him lose it.......but it had to be small and not significant enough to get Hunters attention and wraith incurred on her person- this guy was one of his top people after all.

In her wanderings, Tris had ended up in the basement parking lot of montdragon labs. Orientating herself to her surrounding, Tris looked around, looking at the rows and rows of black SUV's and trucks and all sorts- all black, all gleaming and neat and orderly......and something different, smaller, glinting slightly differently in the artificial light, newer and in- finitely cooler looking- a motorbike.

Tris's eyes lit up in interest- fondly memories running round her head of a ex boyfriend who was obsessed with bikes and taught her everything there was to them...riding, cleaning, stealing......wacky fun.

She walked towards a small cluster of workers and scurity men types who were themselves admiring the bike. As she got closer she heard the expected macho lines about the motor, the paint job, the wheels, and how many chicks you could pick up with that thing. Tris rolled her eyes, plastered a smile to her face and broke into their circle.

"Hey."
she said, brilliant and disarming smile gleaming;
"Nice bike.......is it yours?"
she asked the one next to her.

They all looked at her applicatively though hesitantly- she'd been here awhile and they knew she as a student of the boss man, and smiled, the man on the spot cleared his throat nervously and answered.
"No ma'am, though I wish it were......we checked the scurity vids ourself to answer that question....turns out its Mister Zephyr's.....never knew he had such good taste, ......excuses your presence ma'am, ment no disrespect to him."

Tris shook her head in a gesture that said not to worry, her eyes glinting with wicked energy as she smiled in delight- she knew what she would do.

Wandering casually down the interlocking corridors that served as the veins and arteries of Mondragon Labs the elemental paid no thought to the brief encounter with one of his teammates. They had both said their pieces and had walked away and that was the end of it. That was what his logical side told him, after all they were both adults surely they could deal with maturely and reasonably. However his more realistic side was also providing a rather valid argument; since when were women, especially young ones, reasonable?

Dislodging such thoughts from his mind Zephyr navigated his way around the men and women in white coats who were rushing this way and that. People was always a good sign, it meant that you were getting somewhere and hadn’t become lost in one of the many dead end storage areas scattered around the outskirts of the complex. Still while it meant that you had gotten somewhere it didn’t necessarily mean you had reached your intended destination. Since all of the hallways had been designed in the same manner and there no helpful maps it was almost impossible to tell where you were heading once you left the main entrance.

Now Simon had visited the labs a fair few times before but he had always come form the main entrance, not the parking area and so he now found himself in an unfamiliar section of the labs. Letting his rove over his surroundings Zephyr looked for any small clue that could give him an idea as to where he was, an office name, a room number even an elevator but there was nothing. Placing his hands into his jacket pockets the merc allowed his shoulders to slump slightly as he came to the conclusion that he would have to resort to his usual wandering until he found something of interest.

Usually it took Zephyr at least twenty minutes to find anything of interest in the labs as he would glance inside every door he came across that didn’t have a lock and sometimes even if they did he would try his luck. This time though it only took him five minutes until he a found a doorway with a place card reading “Security Personal Only” As he scanned the place card the elemental raised an eyebrow; security only? Well if that didn’t qualify as interesting he didn’t know what would. Glancing to the right of the door the merc noticed one of the standard palm scanners standing guard over the entrance, after staring at it for a second and silently debating he slowly started to raise his hand.

The thing about these scanners was that if you didn’t have the necessary clearance to the enter a room the door wouldn’t just remain locked, an ear piercing screech of an alarm would blare throughout the entire facility and while Zephyr doubted he’d receive much in the way of punishment the alarm always gave him a headache. Still he saw no reason why he shouldn’t have the clearance, he was after all a form of security and he had been given a senior position, it stood to reason that he should be allowed to enter a simple security area.

Simon placed his hand on the scanner and waited a mere half a second before there was a confirming beep and the door swung open. Zephyr smirked and stepped inside.

Trista smiled, both apologetically and sweetly.

"Hey guys, I think we'd all better get back to work.....never know whos watching round here right?....Though wouldn't mind spending alitte more time with the bike, she's a beauty aint she."

And that disarming smile again.

The men muttered that they supposed they agreed, and with nods of goodbye, apprehensive glances over their shoulders at the cameras around, and longing looks at the bike, they walked away.....Trista walked away too........but only alittle way and only until the men were out of slight, and then she doubled back.

Tris approached the bike again, finally alone with the lovely machine, running her fingertips along the shiny chrome and leather seat as her eyes devoured it whole- it'd had been awhile since she's seen a bike this nice, and Tris was dimly aware she was falling just alittle bit in love with it herself......She wanted.....needed to take it for a ride, her and the bike, riding the wind and exploring memory lane together........the fact it was Zephyr's bike was just an extraordinary and very happy bonus.

Trista plan was simple, steal the bike, ride around- zephyr probably wouldn't evn miss it in that time, and though it would break her heart....maybe bring it back dirty.....or chip the paint alittle or something....and then bring it back return it to its previous position so when he came back, he would suspect, but couldn't be sure.....mess with Zephry's head.....fun times ahead.

With a quick look around to see no one was watching, she ran an experienced hand to the transition....and smiled- no keys, but it usually wasn't a problem for her. Her fingered traced some wiring and then crossed them over, bringing up sparks and bring the bike to life in a roar of power and the shrill wail of the alarm kicking in....in her old life she would have had tools for this.....now she improvised by concentrating on the alarm system, picturing it in her mind, and broke apart a key components moleculular cohesion and disintegrating it.

...the wailing stopped, but the roar of the engine lived on. Tris grinned and jumped on.....no helmet for this girl.

With just the slightly pressure on the acceleration, the bike and her were off and out of mondragon labs and into the streets.

Tris leaned low into the curve of the machine, red hair streaming backwards in the force of the wind and eyes gleaming with wicked excitement.....it had been awhile, and she'd forgotten how much she loved riding.

Tris headed on back streets around warehouses and through empty storage spaces....less people and more speed.

Her plan for the moment, gone from her mind, as she speed up, weaving and dodging crates in back alleyes, just enjoying the thrill of the ride...

As he entered the dimly lit room the first thing that Zephyr became aware of was the multiple rows of glowing monitors lined up against the far end of the room. The second thing he became aware was the soft click of a safety being removed, glancing away from the vast array of screens the elemental directed his attention to three stout lumps of muscle, all of whom had their firearms trained on his person. Giving a small sigh Simon walked forward into the light cast by the monitors so that the men could identify him, he was not in an impulsive mood and had no wish to start any kind of brawl.

“Stand down” he informed them in his usual bland tone. The men blinked for a second but as soon they recognized the special mercenary that Hunter had hired they acquiesced to his command. As their pistols were placed back in their appropriate holsters two of the guards went back to monitoring the screens as they continually search for any sign of an intruder, the third man however kept his gaze fixed on Simon.

“Is there something we can help you with sir?”[/color]

Zephyr fixed his azure gaze on the guard and narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, while the guards question may have seemed perfectly reasonable his tone conveyed a rather negative impression. The man obviously didn’t want him here that much was certain, perhaps he thought the elemental had no business being here, or maybe Hunter had given him specific orders on how to react with intruders, whatever the case Zephyr couldn’t care less and so he ignored the guards question for a moment or so as he observed the monitors and looked for anything interesting. After a time though when the merc failed to find anything fascinating on the vast array of screens that barely showed an eighth of the labs total area and so he decided to grant the man an answer of sorts.

“Hmm? Oh don’t mind me” he replied in a deceptively friendly tone, “I’m just running a random inspection, nothing to worry about. Just continue as though I weren’t here”

The guard frowned as heard the elementals response and Simon could see that he was trying to suppress a snarl. He sent a polite grin back to the man as he grudgingly returned to his seat. This was why he enjoyed acting the part of innocent bystander, it always got one of two reactions, either it caused a person to dismiss him as unimportant or, as in this case, it aggravated them because they felt they were being patronized. In the mercs own humble opinion this was far better than trying to intimidate someone, intimidated people were afraid, they didn’t think clearly and would only tell you what they thought you wanted to know, whereas as angry individual was far more likely to let something vital slip.

“We may have a problem”[/color]

The other two guards glanced over at their companion who directed their attention to a specific screen, “it looks like someone’s trying to hotwire one of the vehicles”[/color].

One of the guards removed his glasses and polished them on his shirt briefly before replacing them on his nose and squinting at the softly glowing screen. “Isn’t that the boss’s new student?”[/color] the man asked as he tried to confirm Tris’s identity, “I don’t think we have to worry about her taking one of the machines out of the spin, though I can’t say I’ve ever seen that bike before-”[/color] The guard was cut off as the door to the room suddenly slammed shut causing all three guards to jump and quickly twist round to see what happened, “Hey where did the merc go?”[/color]

Zephyr all but flew down the corridors as he retraced his steps and raced back to the parking lot. ‘This is why I hate working with women’ he thought furiously, ‘they always overreact.’ As the elemental at last cleared final bustling hallway and merged onto the empty corridors he allowed his body to leave the earth as he dashed down the onwards slicing apart the security cameras as he went in order to leave the staff in the dark about his abilities as well as to vent some of his mounting frustration. That motorcycle had cost him a small fortune and there was no way in hell he was going to let it get wrecked on day one by some immature adolescent.

Finally coming back to the parking lot Zephyr set him back on his own two feet and all but ran inside just in time to hear his precious machine make a roaring exit. With cold fury blazing in his eyes the elemental took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, anger never helped a situation, he needed to think rationally or he would end up doing something foolish. After taking a series of calming breaths Simon determined that he had regained suitable control over his anger and set about dealing with his current dilemma. Firstly he darted back into the locker room and retrieved his obsidian helmet, then he Strode over to nearby cabinet and placed his hand on the opaque glass, allowing the machine hidden inside to scan his palm. Once the cabinet was open he swiftly grabbed a pair of keys marked “SUV A-14” and then calmly walked over to parking spot A-14 and entered the vehicle.

Less than three minutes later the merc had exited the labs and was speeding down the desolate back roads as he searched out Tris’s crimson haired form. Unfortunately she had already gotten out of visual range and that left the elemental with no idea of where she could have gone. Not one to be deterred thought the elemental snatched up the cars radio mike and swiftly sent a transmission back to the labs in order to get a clue to his targets location. After much useless back and forth conversation Zephyr learned the girl had headed to the warehouse district and promptly shifted to a higher gear as he sped down the appropriate road.

There would be a reckoning for this.

--

100th post!

Trista's peals of joyous laughter were tossed back as the wind scooped them away.

She was having a BLAST- every pun intended, but still totally true.
Her mind and self felt cleaner and more alive....free-er.....she was totally focused on the amazing feeling and blocking out everything else.....
which was unfortunate because if she had thought too, she could have disabled the GPS tracking system of the bike which was probably tracking her right now the same way she'd disabled the alarm.
.....but that was the thing about such euphoric states- she didn't care.
Overconfidence and over estimation prime indicators of this heightened emotional state.

The streets raced by in a blur of texni coloured madness, that had Tris been going even abit slower she could probably make out.

.....but it wasn't quite enough, Trista's eyes held the wicked gleam of devious excitement.

She wanted to go faster....like she wasn't going fast enough already, really find out what this awesome piece of machinery could do.......she needed a longer, deserted stretch of road.....and she needed it now.....not one for paitence in these instances- Trista set out to find one.

As he barreled down the deserted expressway Zephyr finally got his first glimpse of the warehouse district, multiple rows of bland grey buildings all set out in an orderly fashion that left the streets in a grid type layout. Narrowing his eyes as he realized the challenge that faced him the elemental once more began issuing strict orders into the radio, searching for Tris on his own right now would be akin to looking for a needle in a haystack, there were simply too many different roads and junctions where she could hide.

As he waited for the personal back at the labs to get back to him with his targets location Zephyr entered the storage district at full speed, barreling down the crisscrossing roads with his eyes darting back and forth. Abruptly the merc caught a flash of movement and immediately jerked the parking brake to its locked position while spinning the wheel as hard as he could to the left. This car went into a screeching slide and it’s two left tires actually left the road as physics took hold of the car and would have caused the entire vehicle to tip over had a sudden blast of air not placed it back on course, allowing the SUV to complete its impromptu U turn and race down the suspicious road.

Unfortunately the aforementioned suspicious activity was revealed to be nothing more than an old moving truck slowly putting its way towards the entrance of one an open warehouse which displayed quite a vast collection of rust as it gradually succumbed to old age. Zephyr’s frustration rose another notch at this failed sighting and he shot past the antiquated vehicle without a second glance. ‘This is pointless’ he told himself, ‘I should wait for the labs to respond with her position.’ Still despite knowing this fact the elemental just could not bring himself to be still; one of his possessions had been stolen. He had spent years honing his skills and his mind in order to achieve what he had today, to have some worthless little nobody just come along and steal one of the fruits of his labour, the elemental felt as though he had been cheated, and he hated being cheated.

Punching the accelerator to the floor the merc once resumed his silent search, containing all of his fury and allowing it to give him the focus he needed to think clearly. He would find Trista and when he did-

A crimson haired figure darted across the road directly in front of the SUV and Zephyr slammed on the brakes to avoid a collision. The cars tires screeched as the vehicle grudgingly responded to its drivers command and came to halt mere inches away from the feminine figure who was riding a state of the art motorcycle. The elementals eyes widened briefly in surprise as he recognized his target, then the azure orbs thinned as he watched Tris speed away from him. ‘This ends now’ he vowed silently as he sent his engine roaring into life and commanded the oversized vehicle to follow the volatile red heads path and slowly began to close the gap between. Technically this should have been impossible as Zephyr’s motorcycle surpassed the SUV in both acceleration and top speed; however by generating a continuous torrent of air Zephyr was able to give his car the added boost it needed to level the playing field.

As he engaged in his pursuit the reckless part of Zephyr’s personality was telling him to simply abandon his current vehicle and take to the air. When flying he could easily travel in excess of 300mph and would therefore be able to catch Tris in seconds, however his more rationale side held greater sway in his mind and it advised that the demonstration of any obvious mutant ability would be utter foolishness. His current tactics were working, there was no need for him to draw attention to himself as a mutant by doing something as abnormal as flying, however there was nothing wrong with using his skills in a more subtle manner. Slowly reaching inside his jacket the merc allowed his hands to wrap around the carefully textured handgrip of his Beretta 92F and withdrew the weapon from its holster. Lowering the front windows of the SUV Zephyr almost casually hung his arm out the side the vehicle and pointed the firearm in Tris’s general direction. Focusing on the air flows traveling in front of him while still maintaining his control over the gusts behind him the elemental slowly began to manipulate the air currents between himself and his target or, more specifically, his weapon and his target. After a few moments of concentration he managed to concoct a swirling vortex of air that would direct his bullet and force to travel to his will.

Narrowing his eyes to mere slits Zephyr focused on his targets and fired, the gun cracked in a manner akin to thunder and the bullet sailed through and followed its predestined path which, providing Tris made no erratic movements, would be the patch of space two inches to the left of her head. He wasn’t going to kill her, not yet anyway. The first shot was simply a warning to inform her that he was fully capable of bringing her insignificant existence to an all too sudden halt.

Trista was abruptly brought back from her blast of a speed trip by the crack of a gunshot, loud and demanding attention even through the rush of the wind at her ears.

She swore, voice lost in the speed of the wind and ducked her head as soon as the sound registered on her consciousness, but still tensed, excepting any second to feel a sprouting, shooting pain as confirmation of a bullet wound......there was none......the breath that she didn't know she was holding was slowly released......Trista leaned across the motor, bringing her and the bike in a sharp about face so she was facing her attacker's car before she stopped abruptly, making like she would soon surrender, but really only wanting to see the face of the threat.

.....what she saw was a black SUV....exactly like the many she'd seen back at montdragon labs. SHe had an inkling of who she might find....and this was confirmed when, through the slightly tinted windshield, she just made out features of a young man...and cause the sun was shielded by high walls of empty warehouses and factories....she could even make out Zephyr's pissed expression.

He had shot at her.....but he had missed....something told her, if he wanted he'd be a much better aim.

She didn't get off the bike- it was her prize and insurance at this point, only sat staring at him eye for eye through the wind shield, a dangerous look in her eyes and a wickely teasing grin to her lips.

Zephyr’s expression did not change in the slightest as Tris brought his bike to a halt and turned to face him. The elementals storming blue eyes never left the thief’s mud brown orbs as he brought his borrowed SUV to a skidding halt five meters from his target. With his Beretta clutched firmly in his right hand the merc left the engine running as he calmly stepped out of the vehicle. Although he was sorely tempted to place a bullet in the girl Simon held his anger in check, Tris had not yet gotten off his bike and he wanted to get the machine back undamaged if possible. There was also the small fact that he doubted his employer would be pleased if he were to terminate one of his “teammates”, especially after the vampire had invested so much time in her.

As these thoughts echoed through his mind Zephyr finally noted Tris’s expression and realized the girl was not going to give up his machine quietly, everything in her features from the wariness in her eyes to her devil may care smile told him that she knew she was in trouble, and she enjoyed. ‘Her playtime ends now’ he thought with a frown as he crafted a razor sharp wind high above his head and brought it crashing down on the pavement behind the little thief, completely obliterating the smooth surface and left a path decorated by a series of ditches with razor sharp edges, to Tris it would have seemed as though the road behind her had just suddenly exploded.

With her venue of retreat now blocked the only path left for the volatile redhead was right in front of her, straight past the elemental himself who was currently leaning against the hood of the SUV with his firearm clearly visible. After staring the girl down for a moment so that she could realize how futile her position was he spoke in a cold and clear tone, “get off the bike.”

Simple and to the point, he was in no mood to mix words today.

Zephyr glared at Tris.........Tris stared unrepentant back at Zephyr, an infuriating smile on her features.

The gun shot, the speed chase, showed something could get under the seemingly impermeable Zephyr's skin.....interesting....she did keep a close eye on that gun though.

Without warning the ground behind her exploded with a bang, the asphalt that used to be the road, broken in ditches, like giant claws had gouged out the road behind her, the ground impassable, blocking any retreat.....not that that was Trista's style when backed into a corner.

She jumped, half tuned to view the destruction behind her and then turned back to stare at Zephyr, eyebrow raised and appraising look on her face. From the little she'd seen of Zephyr's powers- dart, this.....telekinetic, she decided, powerful telekinetic......but still, not invincible.

After staring the girl down for a moment so that she could realize how futile her position was he spoke in a cold and clear tone, “get off the bike.”

Trista laughed, totally ignoring his words instead saying in a sarcastic tone;
"Awwww gee Zephyr, you seem upset.......have you lost something."
saying this as a question that wasn't a question at all.
"And ahhh, just so ya know- some good advice for a fellow teammate, I wouldn't point that gun at me again any time soon.....last person to try that lost an arm."
She winked at him- she'd been terribly cut up and traumatized about the experience, even though said person was trying to kill her......but she wouldn't let him know that.
"Oh and since I'm in a sharing mood with you Zephyr......I just wanted to tell you- you were right....about my powers......hands aren't really necessary....I would duck if I were you."

she been concentrating while saying this, getting angry about him shooting at her, compounding this feeling, compressing it and and suddenly sending it out.

THe jeeps back tyre's rubber blew to pieces.....she'd been practicing.

Using this as a distraction, she kicked his bike into roaring life again and sped past him, roaring off down the road.

"Catch me if you can."
she yelled behind her gleefully, like this was all a big game.
Before she leaning, turning a tight corner into a tiny alley way in between two warehouses....and she was gone again.

Zephyrs eyes narrowed dangerously as Trista delivered her mocking comment, either the girl was a glutton for pain or she truly thought she could get away with this. If it was the latter then he would soon cure her of mind of its foolish delusions and show the little thief her place, and if it were the former well… the elemental supposed he could indulge her one time at least.

The mercenary was abruptly brought out of his brief ponderings on various torture methods when a quick succession of explosions sounded directly behind his person. Allowing his instinct to take over the elemental threw himself to the side and rolled smoothly back to his feet while at the same time sending out a vicious pillar of air to slam into whatever was directly behind him. Unfortunately the only object directly behind him was the vehicle he had taken from the labs. The SUV soared a good ten feet before it became imbedded in the front wall of a dilapidated warehouse and hung there like some outdated Hollywood movie wreck.

It was as he performed this evasive maneuver that the roar of an engine consumed his hearing and he sensed the nearby air currents become forcibly parted as Tris steered his machine through the newly created gap. Allowing himself a single moment to process what had happened Zephyr began cursing himself silently as he strode over to the demolished SUV and deftly cut through the mangled metal and began searching his obsidian helmet.

He had been foolish pure and simple. Hunter’s resources were unmatched by anything he had ever seen before, and considering the mercs underworld contacts in Europe that was saying something, it was obvious that the girl would have learned an additional modicum of control since he’d last seen her. It was ironic really now that he thought about as he dug through the distorted chassis of the SUV. When he’d first brought the girl in he had specifically stated that she needed to improve her control and now that she’d gained said control he found himself wishing she hadn’t obtained it. If he hadn’t been so vexed at Tris he would have no doubt found the whole situation rather amusing, as it was though this little realization only stoked the fires of his frustration as he at last wrenched his helmet clear of wreck and forced himself to stay still for a few additional seconds as he dusted it off. The important thing was not to allow his emotions to gain control, the last time the elemental had done that his powers had created a storm which had traveled the length of the Atlantic ocean and demolished a major city on the US coastline, fortunately the entire event was believed to be a natural disaster and no one had ever suspected his involvement. However his potential had increased monumentally since then and Simon no longer had any idea what he was truly capable of and he had no desire to answer that question this day.

Finally placing the protective headgear upon his skull Zephyr allowed his eyes a moment to accustom themselves to the polarized lens of which the pitch black visor had been constructed. Originally designed to shield the wearer from the harsher light of the sun the visor also conveniently masked the owners features and so once the elementals eyes had fully adjusted to the dim light he had no qualms about removing himself from the earth and tracking down his crimson haired thief from the air.

Surprisingly it took very little time for Zephyr to track down his target; Tris seemed to enjoy going in straight lines, perhaps because it allowed her to utilize the full of potential of the machine she had stolen or maybe because uncomfortable maneuvering in such a constrictive environment. Either way the elemental couldn’t care less as he put on an extra burst of speed that enabled him to keep pace with his stolen possession and descended until he level with the rooftops of the surrounding structures, low enough to be able to view his target but still high enough to engage evasive action if necessary; he would not repeat his mistake.

As he closed in on Trista’s form Zephyr considered his next course of action, directly assaulting the source of his annoyance was not a path he was yet prepared to take, for while he would take momentary satisfaction in showing the insignificant girl her place he was not prepared to pay for it at the price of his motorcycle. That did not mean he was out of options though for he had been in this situation before, most recently against a pair of redheads whose manners seemed to be on level with those of Ms. Evans, the twins had possessed the annoying ability to nullify most of his weaker attacks and so Zephyr had used his environment to end their little scuffle. That was precisely what he would do here; cramped as she was in the tight alleyways of the warehouse district Trista’s barely had room to turn her stolen machine left and right, if she were to face a sudden obstruction the elemental seriously doubted she’d be able to react in time.

It was with this vein of thought that Zephyr made his next move, crafting a multitude of wind blades for decidedly destructive purposes he sent them sailing on ahead of Trista and into the walls of the buildings which flanked her sides. The razor winds sliced through the thick sheet metal easily and caused the walls to collapse and block the alleyway in a cascade effect that would swiftly bury the explosive redhead unless she changed her course.

There was a rush of wind.....then ahead of Trista, the wall seemed to collapse in on itself, the narrow alley quickly blocking itself up with debris from the walls....and Tris was headed full speed into it.....what the hell was going on? That was one powerful and temperamental telekinetic.

Tris slowed and stopped, turning the bike and riding full speed back up the alley the way she came, watching for the walls coming down around her again, keeping low to the curve of the machine, figuring the closer she was to it the more leverage she had.....and into open air.

Trista slowed the bike again, stopping and leaving it running while she half turned to get a visual on her adversary.....She found him...eventually, raising a eyebrow in surprise, though she shouldn't be phased by stuff like this any more- he was floating just above the roof of the nearest warehouse building.
Hmmmmmmm, Tris had a plan.....or atleast a kind of plan, the beginnings of one.......she could most defiantly use her exploding thing from here, but the other......she'd need him closer.....Trista was very confident in her ability to piss almost anyone off.....it certainly seemed to be working with Zephyr.

She laughed, putting derision and scorn into her chuckles.
"So what......your Peter Pan now......the boy wonder???"

She was certain her phrasing implicating Zephyr a boy, even a wonderful one.....would get a reaction.

....her plan would either work, or she would be dead.....either way she would do this. Tris didn't do things by halves.

Remaining level with the warehouse rooftops Zephyr paused for a moment and released an irritated sigh when Tris swung his machine round in a 180° turn and then speed off in the opposite direction to avoid the metallic debris that he had caused to shower down upon her. However when he once again began his pursuit he chose not to repeat his destructive synthetic rain for he had other things on his mind, ‘This should have been finished by now’ he thought with a mixture of irritation and puzzlement. How was it that someone at Tris’s level was able to keep him running in metaphorical circles? She was nowhere near his level, yet she still managed to evade him.

Somewhat troubled by this line of thought the elemental created additional distance between himself and the volatile female he was pursuing. He needed a moment to think and evaluate his performance and he couldn’t do that if Tris decided to start throwing explosions left and right. As he fell back Zephyr began replaying the past few minutes through his mind as he searched for his flaw, because surely there was no way the girl below him could ever measure up to his skills.

The answer, when it came to the merc was so simple he berated himself for not recognizing it sooner; he had allowed himself to develop a weakness, because of his desire to keep his motorcycle intact he had handed full control of this little game to Trista. The elementals features darkened under his onyx helmet as he came to this answer, he would not allow himself to be played any further, he would eliminate his weakness and if Tris just so happened to get caught in the crossfire that would just a be happy bonus.

It was as he came to this conclusion that the merc noticed the little thief had pulled up to a stop and was actually mocking him. ‘Impudent little strumpet’ he thought dispassionately as he took his time conjuring a blade of wind, ‘just because Hunter taught her a minute amount of…’ the elementals allowed his silent sentence to trail off as his thoughts turned to his vampiric employer. Hunter had invested a lot of time in the girl and somehow Zephyr doubted the immortal would be too pleased if he failed to get any kind of return on said investment. Allowing his razor wind to dissipate the merc once hung in mid air as he decided what to do, while he would have qualms about bringing the redheads existence to a sudden halt he wasn’t sure he could say the same about Hunter and since the man paid salary…

Giving a rather audible sigh the elemental flicked open the visor of his helmet and withdrew Hunters gaudy watch from his pocket. If the man had any kind of intelligence operating at the labs then he no doubt knew what was happening and if Trista held any value for him he would be monitoring them as closely as possible, if not then he could safely assume that the girl was no more than an impulsive side project that was quickly forgotten and would not be missed. It was this logic in mind that Zephyr raised the communicator to his mouth and delivered his message.

“Hunter, how highly do you value Trista? If you fail to reply in the next five minutes I shall assume you consider her worthless and have no qualms about terminating her”